2012年9月17日 星期一

Nature of Clinical Depression

"The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved", this is a line from the late Mother Teresa. For people with clinical depression, loneliness is not the only enemy. There are other things apart from the sadness that they feel. In this article, I will be discussing the nature of clinical depression, and how it can affect an individual's life.

One of the earliest lessons we have would be that of loneliness. As a child, we have experienced petty-kind of sadness, we cried, but after awhile, we move on. As we grow up, we encounter predicaments, and the problem gets severe as we age. Some of us have difficulties in getting over their concerns. In this kind of situation, a depression often exists.

Major depressive disorder, major depression, unipolar depression, and unipolar disorder, are another terms for this case. This is a form of metal disorder. Its signs include severe low mood with low self-esteem. Also, the patient loss his or her pleasure and interests. The sadness and low energy of the person is very noticeable.

It is the American Psychiatric Association that coined the term "Major Depressive Disorder". It is designated on the cluster of mood disorder on DSM or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This has been the term utilized in the medical field since then. The word depression can be used as a general term to characterize other types of psychological disorder. The need to be very specific is only required in the field of medicine and research.

This disorder can be debilitating, as it can greatly affect ones' relationship, work, school life, diet, and sleep. In America, there are 3.4% cases of major depression with suicide attempts. Actually, 60 percent of people who attempted suicide are clinically depressed, or they have a mood disorder. Depression can be really dangerous, as it can be emotionally and physically painful for the patient.

To tell if a person has a depression, the expert makes use of the self reported experiences, noticeable behaviour (by family, friends or colleagues), and mental status exam. There are no laboratory tests for this case, like blood samples or cat scans. However, some physicians might actually ask for a physical exam just to check other disease, or the health status, that might cause some complications.

It is at the age range of 30-40 where depression usually sets in. Then, on ages of 50 to 60, it may peak. Depression usually affects women rather than men. Also, there is a higher rate of attempted suicides amongst females, compared to males. However, there is a higher risk for men on completing suicides.

The usual treatment for depression is an antidepressant medication. It is paired with counselling or psychotherapy. There could be recommendation of hospitalization if a patient harms himself / herself, or there is self-neglect that is taking place. Another option is ECT or Electroconvulsive Therapy. This treatment is given with a short-acting anaesthesia.

Some cases could last for a lifetime. Hence, they have recurrent major depressive episodes. Other cases would last for a few months, and would not recur. According to a study, people who are depressed have shorter life expectancies. This is due to greater vulnerability to illnesses and suicide.

Today, people are more enlightened on what clinical depression really is. People are now aware that a prolonged sadness, is not merely loneliness, but it is a health concern. However, there are still current discussions that must be done in order to give light to this case. Research is still done in order to explain its genetic, evolutionary, and biological factors.

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